Paved Roads & Highways

[Lowell43]

We all know that Point Blank has disabled paved roads and highways for some provinces in RR/RC. I agree with his goal of greater historical realism. However, when I am trying to recreate my mighty Restored Roman Empire, am almost swimming in florins, and have a treasury in the millions, then I feel when I am not permitted to build highways to connect my far flung frontiers.

Are there less prescriptive options? For example:

1) How about a 'road maintenance tax' of say 100fl/500fl/1000fl per level of roads per turn in each province. Or,

2) How about semi-regular events similar to 'troubadors arrive' or 'pirates are raiding your shipping lanes!'. This could be 'Storms and lack of maintenance are washing out your roads! Would you like to spend 10,000fl for road maintenance Y/N?' It would be nice to have some sort of penalty if you answered no.

Either of the above options would give the player a real choice. The player would have to decide between short term and long term goals, i.e. immediate military spending to face that oncoming Jihad? Or longer term economic planning.

This would nicely reflect the historical bind that the Byzantines were in. I doubt that they had actually forgotten how to build paved roads/highways, but due to their frequent political/military/economic crises they did not muster the will to build and maintain them. As the player, I would enjoy having the option to try.

[szelbisz]

if i remember right PB has decided to enable paved roads for all settlements after some specific date

[Lowell43]

That is encouraging, but to my mind goes too far the other way. If roads are simply enabled after a certain date, then players will automatically build them. They are relatively cheap and there is no downside.

To my mind, there ought to be some sort of downside. The player should have to think rather than auto-pressing the build button.

[chrono672]

no need

[k/t]

I don't think all regions should have paved roads, even after a certain date. Didn't those appear only in the 20th century in some parts of Africa and Asia?

[NewUser]

Just to clarify things, is it true that some provinces may build highways? Playing as Lithuania I never got any city to develop to that point, but playing as the Byzantine in Late Era I had a highway in Constantinople. I had thought that highways were only buildable by the Byzantine.

[Lowell43]

I think that only the Byzantines can build highways. I was able to build them in Constantinople, Naples, and Palermo. I have build paved roads in some other provinces but not highways.

[smitty]

Just to clarify things, is it true that some provinces may build highways? Playing as Lithuania I never got any city to develop to that point, but playing as the Byzantine in Late Era I had a highway in Constantinople. I had thought that highways were only buildable by the Byzantine.

Yes, highways can only be built by the Byzantines.